Drew Deetsch issued
We live in a time when giant robot movies aren’t all that special. Thanks to over a decade of Transformers movies and great work, pacific rimthe novelty of a seriously taken giant robot movie is lost on modern audiences. However, there was a time when fans of giant robots had to make do with comics and manga alone.
Thankfully, one man came along and changed everything with a giant robot movie that ended up being the filmmaking empire’s final release. As a pioneer of giant robot films, this director deserves far more recognition than he receives today.
Stuart Gordon’s Robot Jocks
The director is Stuart Gordon, known for his adaptations of HP Lovecraft. reanimator and from the other sidewere fans of the popular animated series. transformers And the influential anime “Macross”. He’s always wanted someone to make a live-action giant robot movie. So when no one else was at bat, he set his sights on the next thing. robot jocksa story about a divided future where the conflict between the two remaining superpowers is resolved in gladiator robot battles.
Gordon teamed up with science fiction author Joe Haldemanwon the Hugo Award for his novel eternal war. The novel is a science fiction depiction of Haldeman’s own experiences while deployed to Vietnam. This will ultimately be one of the first factors that leads to: robot jocks Many final questions.
Haldeman and Gordon were directly at odds in the tone of the story, with Gordon leaning toward something more cartoonish and fun, while Haldeman wanted to explore darker, more complex sides of the idea. They knew they had to meet somewhere in the middle, but that wasn’t necessarily what audiences were looking for in a giant robot movie. More on this later.
Robot Jox Destroyed Empire Pictures
More importantly for the big picture, robot jocks Empire Pictures tells the story of Empire Pictures, a low-budget genre studio by longtime producer Charles Band. Empire Pictures churned out a ton of cult sci-fi and horror films in the 1980s. ghoulthey were named to our exclusive list of 1980s creature feature gems.
at that time robot jocks When Empire Pictures launched Camera in 1986, it was at its breaking point. In fact, they put almost all of their remaining eggs into it. robot jocks In the end, this was the last film produced under the Empire Pictures banner.
Still, the finished film had to be sold to another distributor to reach the final stage, and the film was not released in its entirety until 1990. Rarely does a film benefit from such a long journey to the screen.
Robot Jox’s influence on Disney movie ‘Honey’ caused children to shrink
Another factor that added to the stress of post-production was that Stuart Gordon had to run to one studio to finish putting. robot jocks together in the editing, and in a separate studio headed by none other than Mickey Mouse. while he was getting robot jocks Ready, Gordon was in the development stage 1/10 weenie (yes, that was actually the title), Disney’s sci-fi family comedy about children growing up. Yes, Stuart Gordon was one of the original story developers behind the later stories. Honey, I made the kids shrink.
This was not a good time for Gordon. This was his first time working with a big Hollywood studio, and he famously had no patience for the Disney bigwigs.
Gordon claimed he had a nosebleed during a business meeting just from the stress of dealing with it. Monotonous corporate work is applied to art. I was so sad to see Gordon leave. Honey, I made the kids shrink Before the cameras rolled, I never thought I’d be able to do business with any big studio. Also.
He remained an independent filmmaker for the remainder of his career. Although doing so did not make Stuart Gordon’s name famous, it did mean that he began to prioritize creativity in his work, leading to a diverse and compelling filmography.
It’s called Robojox, not Robotjox.
Therefore, while the overall business continues, robojox is also on his plate. yes, robojox The original movie was titled “RoboCop,” but since it took so long to put the whole movie together and RoboCop was released in theaters, the distributor changed the titles to make it seem like they weren’t related. I felt the need to.
Poor Stuart couldn’t catch a break, could he? He liked to tell people that “T” was like this. robot jocks Silent and still personally called a movie robojox Even after it’s all over.
What’s so great about Robot Jox?
Now, let’s take a look at some things about robots. In other words, robot jocks In fact, it turned out to be an advantage. Just like legendary designer Ron Cobb, sci-fi fans will instantly recognize him as one of the key designers behind Alien. Cobb’s overall design for the two giant robots that appear really elevates the entire piece.
It doesn’t hurt to see David Allen, a mainstay behind the scenes at Empire Pictures, bring his stop-motion talents to the big fight. The robot fights are very formulaic, but I can forgive it if the effects are so fun. Still, does anyone want to know more about Robot Jox? robot jocks It’s a valid criticism of the movie.
It’s true that the budget is for a B-movie, but in the world of science fiction, robot jocks This article gives a good idea of what society would look like today after a catastrophic nuclear war.
Gordon even used an advertising campaign in Rome to encourage women to become pregnant. it seems something strange The Handmaid’s Tale And Gordon realized that it would contribute to the world. robot jocks At first glance, the scope of the subject is wide.
Gordon wanted the film to be fun, but he also wanted it to be serious. He and his team spent time at Air Force bases conducting research to figure out specific military terminology and procedures.
Mr Gordon said: the right thinga great film adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s groundbreaking history of the U.S. space program, and is cited as his greatest cinematic influence on what he wanted to do in movies. The commitment to belief in the film itself touches my heart. robot jocks It has a lot of charm.
I have a problem with the tone, but who is this movie for?
But remember when Gordon and Haldeman’s differing views on the subject matter caused a disturbing tone in the story? robot jocks Can’t quite settle into a rhythm that fits what audiences expect from this movie robot jocks. The miniature opening credits sequence originally filmed for this film looks great, but sets up a darker experience than parents and kids might want from a big robot battle movie.
incident that provokes robot jocks The story is about an innocent crowd dying in a robot battle. This is a major conflict for Achilles, the film’s main character, but it also feels like it could be a strike moment for parents who brought their kids to see the live-action cartoon.
There are other shiny spots robot jocks, Like Michael Aldridge, who played Tex Conway, an over-the-top American stereotype that Gordon says was directly inspired by Ronald Reagan. It’s a goofy but funny performance, but the performance in this movie belongs to Danny Kamekona as Dr. Matsumoto. When you see someone put so much emphasis on a tragic role in a movie like… robot jocks Always worth emphasizing.
Robot Jox fails and fails big time
Unfortunately, neither the actors nor the advertising campaign could save robot jocks At the ticket office. Although it opened in 16th place on Gordon’s budget of $6.5 million, robot jocks It barely exceeded $1 million.
During the breakup of Empire Pictures, the film was left in the water due to the length of time it took to reach the screen. Although it eventually found an audience on home video, it took years for the film to establish itself as a cult film.
Stuart Gordon created Robot Jox for a good reason
Stuart Gordon didn’t make it. robot jocks Simply to capitalize on a trend or to take advantage of an audience looking for escapism. Made by Stuart Gordon robot jocks As a fan, I wanted to see a live-action giant robot movie. He loved the genre and the imagination it brought to the story.
failure robot jocks In the end, Hollywood has become something of a stain on Gordon, but only history can be the true judge. Stuart Gordon is now a respected figure in the genre film world.
In addition to his support by the horror film community, science fiction enthusiasts have discovered the joys of Gordon’s films, including: space trackeran unconventional light adventure robot jocksand a must-see fortress. Seriously, Fortress is inspired by even more outlandish anime and is awesome robocop completely unrelated movie robocop. Imagine what prison is like robocop It’s like fortress.
Stuart Gordon passed away in 2020 at the age of 72. robot jocks While it may have been a failure at first, Gordon’s work breathed new life into the film and even created new fans. From silly to serious, robot jocks We provide something for you to enjoy.
